Quebec Crew Hit Vermont ATMs, $88K in Fraud

BURLINGTON, VT – Four men from Quebec are cooling their heels in a Vermont jail after a months-long investigation uncovered a brazen ATM fraud scheme targeting banks in the Burlington area. The quartet allegedly raked in nearly $88,000 using compromised account information and a network of stolen cards.

Mathieu Baaklini, 21, of Laval, Quebec; Safwan Bensalma, 21, of Laval, Quebec; Brandon Lo, 24, of Laval, Quebec; and Nicolau Manfredi, 21, of Montreal were arrested October 24, 2016, and charged by Criminal Complaint with conspiracy to use access devices fraudulently resulting in the receipt of more than $1,000 in cash. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy on October 25, 2016. If convicted, each man faces a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

According to court records, the operation ran from March to October 2016, with the four repeatedly crossing the border into Vermont. They focused on NBT Bank ATMs in Burlington and Essex, allegedly using cards loaded with stolen account data from Canadian accountholders. On May 24, 2016, alone, approximately $8,800 was withdrawn in fraudulent cash advances. The next day, one of the conspirators wired $11,000 from Chittenden and Franklin Counties back to Quebec. Between August 22-25, 2016, the suspects racked up an estimated $54,000 in suspected fraud activity, executing around 500 fraudulent transactions on Canadian and European cards.

Federal agents weren’t far behind. On October 21, 2016, a search warrant was executed on a storage unit in Williston, Vermont. Inside, they found a staggering $33,000 in cash, a laptop computer, a card-reading device – the tools of the trade – and 378 gift cards, each marked to indicate they held stolen bank account information. The evidence paints a clear picture of a well-organized and calculated operation.

The jig was up when Department of Homeland Security Agents intercepted the four men at the Highgate Springs, Vermont Port of Entry as they attempted to re-enter the United States. They were promptly taken into custody. This wasn’t some amateur hour operation; these guys were professionals, moving cash and data across the border with alarming efficiency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Doyle is prosecuting the case. Baaklini is represented by Maryanne Kampmann, Esq. Bensalma is represented by Craig S. Nolan, Esq. Lo is represented by Chandler W. Matson, Esq. and Manfredi is represented by Douglas G. Kallen, Esq. It’s important to remember that the Criminal Complaint is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The investigation is ongoing, led by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Expect more details to emerge as this case unfolds.